Tag Archives: Conan O’Brien

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Friday afternoon

Friday afternoon

Just got back from another lovely day outside. Today was even nicer than yesterday. Clear skies, nice temperature. Almost perfect. Last night was mellow, Bill was off rehearsing with his church choir for a big thing on Sunday.

I watched TV, played some bass, some guitar. Watched on 20/20 an episode about Etan Patz who was abducted 30 years ago on his way to the bus stop in Soho. An unresolved story, which is still sad 30 years later.

I remember seeing his 6 year old face on the cover of the Daily News when it happened. Etan’s parents still live in the same loft on Prince Street, perhaps in a vain hope that Etan might return someday.

After that I watched Bill Maher which I thought was tedious. Bill came home when I switched over to the last Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Conan O’Brien was the guest with James Taylor coming out and singing Sweet Baby James, requested by Jay Leno.

Never really cared much for Leno and can’t say that I ever watched a complete episode of the Tonight Show when he was hosting. It was OK overall. I am looking forward to see how Conan holds up on Monday.

Bill stayed up watching Craig Ferguson and I went to bed. I slept in while Bill went off this morning to get the bagels and whatnot. Eventually I got myself together and made some breakfast for myself.

Julio stopped by to get his Frisbee since he and Stine and Alexander were going down the shore with Stine’s sister and her family who are visiting from Denmark.

It was brief visit. I was soon walking up and down the aisles in the supermarket, replenishing the juices that I bought the other day.

Cut back on drinking soda you see, and been I’ve drinking juice lately.

Bill and I had plans to make it into the city to see a friend of his performing at the Lincoln Center library. Nice ride into the city as well as a stroll up Eighth Avenue on a spring afternoon.

We ran into another friend of Bill’s (which sounds like an AA meeting) Jesse and after chatting with her outside the library we all headed in.

The performance was titled When She Was King- D.R.E.D. : Daring Reality Every Day. The artist was Mildred Dred Gerestant who performs as a drag king. Same premise as a drag queen only with the gender reversed. It was a lot of fun, and a few laughs.

Definitely not what I was expecting to say the least.

Bill directed Mildred in her everyday drag in a workshop reading. So that’s how they know each other. It really was an entertaining performance that I would check out again if the circumstances were permitting.

After that Bill and I walked up to Gray’s Papaya and got some hot dogs and headed into Central Park. We wandered over to the skate circle where the disco was in full bloom. Lot’s of the same people that were there 10 years ago are still there skating around in circles.

The DJ was quite good as Bill and I watched from on top of the rocks. There were a few bears opposite on Bear Hill, a few that were probably in the demonstration on Tuesday night. We didn’t stay too long and caught the 1 train from 72nd street to the Path train.

A nice evening walking back to the apartment. Twilight in Hoboken can be quite nice. Now I’m waiting to meet up with Rand and Lois to discuss something that Lois has planned.

I’m not going to get into it right now, but it promises to be a fun endeavor.

heading in...

heading in...

..the city

..the city

Lincoln Center

Lincoln Center

Mildred 'Dred' Gerestant

Mildred 'Dred' Gerestant

Central Parkers

Central Parkers

53009-nyc-017a

Tell Me What You See

4 Replies

This has been an odd day. Nothing bad happened, at least not yet. It just started out on the wrong foot, leading to a day of missteps. I woke up, tried to contact Julio to see if he and Stine wanted bagels. No answer. I called Stine instead and she said no, they were going out. That was no problem.

I went to the bagel shop where there is never a line anymore. It used to be there would be a line out of the store onto the sidewalk, but hasn’t been like that in a few months.

I asked Jeff, someone who’s been working there for ages, a week or so ago if it’s been slow and he mentioned that I had just missed a rush. I didn’t believe that since there is hardly anyone in there when I’m there. Denial or just putting forth the company line?

I’m convinced they don’t like me in the Bagel store. One guy in particular doesn’t like me, I can tell. When I moved back to Hoboken almost 7 years ago, I started getting my bagels on Washington Street. A few weeks later I saw this particular guy on the street with his kids and as I passed I said hello. He gave me the stink eye in return. I figured with the hundreds of people he sees each week I was lost in the shuffle.

After that I saw him again and once again said hello and once again I get the stink eye. One time I gave my order at the counter, something like 3 sesame, and 2 poppy bagels. He gave me 3 and 3. I mentioned that it wasn’t what I ordered and he got all uppity. So ever since then it’s quite frosty between us.

I do try to support small businesses, but in Hoboken, the small business owners don’t make it easy and show very little gratitude. Next to the register is a container for tips. Knowing that some of the staff have families to support I sometimes leave my change in the container. Sometimes I get thanked, and other times like today with me and Frosty the bagel counter person I get nothing.

I think next time I go in I will wait for Frosty to be waiting on another customer. And if I hear Jeff say to a new customer, ‘You know those bagels will make you thirsty, you sure you don’t want something to drink with that?’ I’ll go postal.

That basically set the tone for the day. I went out once after that and it just seemed so weird that I decided not to go out again until tomorrow. But I did go out, hoping to run into the Chinese dude who usually sells bootleg DVD’s at the barber shop at 4:00PM on Saturday afternoons.

I didn’t see him and I wasn’t going to go hang out in a barber shop if I wasn’t getting a haircut. I was hoping to get a $5.00 DVD of Slumdog Millionaire. Oh well. The only Academy Awards movies that I’ve seen are Milk and The Visitor, and Wall-E.

Maybe I’ll do a live blog during the awards tomorrow, or rather write about it as it happens and post afterwards. That seems more likely since I don’t think I’m equipped for live blogging.

Last night I caught up on what I had DVR’d. Spectacle with Elvis Costello. 1st up had guests She and Him, Jenny Lewis and Jacob Dylan. All very good and enjoyable and that Jacob Dylan sure is cute, and he sounds like Bruce Springsteen I think. Imagine growing up being Bob Dylan’s kid, how strange that must be.

I have a newfound love for Jenny Lewis, though Juan has been hyping her up to me for a while now. And She and Him, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward were good enough to make me think about getting their record.

Then I watched what I guess is the season finale for Spectacle, this time hosted by Elton John who interviewed Diana Krall and had her husband, Elvis Costello come out opening with a song and singing with Diana and Elton at the end.

Geez, I swear Diana Krall is like so many women that I know, at least in the way she talks and her mannerisms. I enjoyed her, but sometimes it was like watching my niece Corinne on TV. If only Corinne played piano. She was very entertaining, Diana Krall and I think she’d be worth checking out as well.

After that I watched the 11:30 Simpsons who had Stephen Sondheim on, writing a song for Krusty the clown. And Bart was in therapy and really getting a lot out of it, even though 5 sessions were mandatory as punishment for a school prank.

I almost stayed up to watch Conan O’Brien’s last Late Night show but since I was recording it I figured I would watch it today. Which I did do, watch it today. Unfortunately it ran long and as Conan was summing up his 16 years hosting the show it got cut off.

So I watched that on NBC.com, and posted it on my Facebook page, as well as Conan releasing Abe Vigoda back into the wild, since ‘Pa’ said he wouldn’t be able to take him to Los Angeles where he will host the Tonight Show.

Though I didn’t watch Conan that often since it was on past my bedtime, I will miss him. But I should be able to catch some of the Tonight Show with Conan . I’m 6’2” and wear a size 12, Conan is 6’4” and probably wears a larger shoe, and I can only hope Jimmy Fallon could fill those shoes.

Let Me Roll It

2 Replies

It certainly is very strange, the weather is. I left the apartment it was 50 degrees and promised to get warmer. Still I wore my overcoat, which meant I would be drenched with sweat by the time I got to the office. It was a 3 t-shirt day. It had gotten so muggy that even walking around midtown, running errands wearing a suit jacket and I was sweating. It was 68 degrees at that point. Crazy I tell you, crazy! Things in the office have been ok. I’ve taken to calling Tom Chin, the old lady. I ask Lydia where the old lady is and she laughs.

Now at 6:40PM I sit next to an open window, enjoying something that resembles a breeze. Last night it was warm as I watched the telly. The usual, Scrubs, A Daily Show, and The Colbert Report. There was a running theme throughout both shows and crossing over into Late Night with Conan O’Brien. That was pretty funny though I watched it out of sequence since I first saw the Conan clip online in the afternoon. It was supposed to be the last, but still it was very funny. All three of them beating each other up. Quite silly I thought.

Caught Futurama and a series on Soul Music on VH1. All pretty good, Futurama hilarious, Soul Music, soulful. Watched the 3rd DVD of the McCartney Years. This one featured live performances from the Wings Over America movie, Rock Show, some songs from McCartney Unplugged from MTV and part of the big Glastonbury festival from 2004. The audience eating it all up each time. And why not? Macca is quite the consummate professional, and it was cute to see Paul on stage in 1976 so chubby cheeked and with a shag haircut yet.

He certainly gives the audience what they want to hear. I know this to be true because on October 4, 2005 I was screaming my lungs out for Macca at Madison Square Garden, tears streaming down my face, quite unexpectedly during Maybe I’m Amazed. Julio and I have a pact to see Macca again should he come rolling around these parts again.

Can’t seem to wake up on time the past couple of days. I’ve even taken to going to bed a little bit earlier (hence not watching the rest of Macca at Glastonbury) but still I can barely hear the alarm clock when it goes off. If I didn’t have to pee I’m sure I would keep sleeping. Not too much of a problem, I was only 5 minutes late at work and no one was in yet so I’ll just say I was in 5 minutes early.

Bill’s dad goes to the VA home tomorrow, and his mother can also stay there since she needs to be attended to all the time, not being able to be on her own as the Alzheimer’s continues. I haven’t seen Bill in a week which is odd. We chat online and talk on the phone, but haven’t seen each other. That’s really about all I have to say.